Digital BW, The Print

At 10:57 AM 8/31/03 -0700, you wrote:
>Occasionally on the various forums I read there is the inevitable Digital
>vs. Film debate that occurs.  One of the aspects that fascinates me is the
>issue regarding the "value" of the final result, the print.  Value in money,
>or value in other terms.  The argument is that in darkroom printing, the
>print contains part of the work for that print.  The printer did all of this
>dodging and burning magic, and probably went through a ton of paper to get
>there.  The argument then continues to say that because digital printing is
>automatically reproducible, the prints it produces are of a lesser value.
>
>It's certainly the case that you also get through a lot of paper with
>digital printing.  I've gone through boxes and boxes of the stuff - digital
>printing right now is a world of delight for the tinkerer and it's certainly
>NOT easy!!!  However, I've now got the MIS VM printing on my Epson 1280 to a
>point where I run my PhotoShop action, apply a Roark curve and hit print.
>Sure, I mess around with the digital image for hours and hours, but the
>printing itself is now automatic.  So, is it now the case that the digital
>file contains all the value, and the print may as well have "34/3000"
>written in pencil (or perhaps a Photoshop layer?) on it?  I could spend days
>and days making an image and then print 1000 identical copies.  If I spent
>days and days painting a picture with oils, the resulting work is certainly
>worth more, because there is only one.
>
>There seems to be a lot of people on this site that sell their digital
>prints.  How have you rationalized this in your mind?  Do you sell a limited
>edition of an individual print?  Once you sell out of a popular print are
>you tempted to hit "print" again and make more?  It would be easy wouldn't
>it?  :)
>
>What does everyone think about this?
>
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Matthew,

It doesn't matter how much work is put into a product in the art market. 
What did Whistler say in his suit aganst Ruskin?:

Ruskin's counsel: "The labour of two days & is that for which you ask two 
hundred guineas?" " Whistler: No. I ask it for the knowledge of a lifetime. "

  It seems logical that silver prints will always lead newer methods 
because of  decreasing supply.  Ink jet prints are an unknown product right 
now and the pricing is all over the place.  Would you pay as much for one 
as a silver print?



AZ

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